Thanksgiving Means The National Dog Show!

November 21, 2012 By Paris Permenter & John Bigley

Thanksgiving means the annual broadcast of the NBC Thanksgiving Day special, “The National Dog Show Presented by Purina®.” Now in its 11th year, this broadcast airs from noon to 2pm in all time zones, immediately after the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC. Watched annually by a total of almost 20 million viewers, the show will also feature an encore presentation on NBC in primetime on Friday from 8-10 p.m. ET.

While 170 breeds vie for the Best in Show title, the action is hosted by TV personality John O’Hurley, the “Seinfeld” ensemble actor (catalogue king J. Peterman). O’Hurley is joined by expert analyst David Frei, the voice of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on USA Network and America’s foremost authority on the sport. Sports personality Mary Carillo follows the action from the floor of the show, going behind the scenes for a look at this benched show, one of only five remaining “benched” shows in which the dogs are on display all day for the visiting public.

For more behind the scenes fun, visit www.NBCSports.com and at www.NationalDogShow.com. The sites feature online video with extensive highlights from the TV special and video from the 10 past Best In Show winners. The sites will also feature behind the scenes photos and video, capturing all of the backstage energy generated by 1,500-plus eager canines.

New This Year

The show will spotlight two newly AKC-recognized breeds: the Russell Terrier and Treeing Walker Coonhound!

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About Us

Welcome! We're Paris Permenter and John Bigley, a husband-wife team of professional writers. We've authored 33 pet and travel books, and we love to travel with our rescue dogs, Irie and Tiki.

DogTipper is the dog blog of our online store, PawZaar.com. Featuring products for pet lovers from around the globe, our products lend a helping paw. Ten percent of the proceeds from every purchase is donated to pet rescue.